|
The Sun
Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling. Walt Whitman
The Sun in the News
The Sun's energy is the principal driver of all of Earth's atmospheric events, from weather patterns in the lower layers, through auroras in the upper layers, to the space weather environment of energetic particles at the altitudes of orbiting satellites. The energy originates from the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium in the Sun's core ( nucleosynthesis). Over millions of years, the energy is transported outward to the visible surface, where it is radiated into space.
The Sun contains the vast majority of all matter within our solar system. It is mostly hydrogen, with some helium and smaller amounts of other elements.
The visible surface of the Sun is called the photosphere. The Sun's atmosphere has two transparent layers. The chromosphere is just above the photosphere. The corona is the outer part of the Sun's atmosphere. In the outer region of the corona, particles travel away from the Sun and stretch far out into space. The chromosphere and corona can only be seen during solar eclipses, or with instruments that simulate a solar eclipse.
The SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft is currently in position at the L1 point. Once of its instruments, LASCO, is a visible-light coronagraph, a device that blocks the bright light from the Sun's surface, allowing the details in the corona to be clearly seen.
In one of LASCO's images of activity on the Sun, shown here, blobs of plasma (the solar wind stream) can be seen to be emitted from the Sun. Image courtesy of SOHO/LASCO consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA.
To learn a lot more about the Sun, check out our question and answer page on the Sun in our "Ask Us" feature.
Even more about the Sun:
The Heliosphere
Solar Wind
The Sun's Magnetic Field
Solar Activity
The Earth's Magnetosphere
Solar Energetic Particles (Solar Cosmic Rays)
August 8, 2009: Diamonds in a
cloudy sky -- APOD
August 6, 2009: Long
debate ended over cause, demise of ice ages -- may also help predict
future -- Eurekalert
August 4, 2009: A triple sunrise
over Gdansk Bay -- APOD
July 30, 2009: 6 minutes 42
seconds -- APOD
July 27, 2009: Living
in a dying solar system, Part 1 -- Astrobiology
July 26, 2009: The big
corona -- APOD
July 24, 2009: Eclipse over
Chongqing, China -- APOD
July 23, 2009: Eclipse
shadows southeastern China -- NASA Earth Observatory
July 22, 2009: Solar
eclipse video: Century's longest, caught on film -- National
Geographic
July 20, 2009: Longest
solar eclipse of the 21st century -- Science@NASA
July 20, 2009: NASA's
'Mr. Eclipse' retires but still chasing shadows -- NASA
July 18, 2009: Planets, Great
Wall, and solar eclipse -- APOD
July 3, 2009: Perihelion and
aphelion -- APOD
June 30, 2009: Ulysses: 12
extra months of valuable science -- ESA
June 30, 2009: Solar
ghosts may haunt Earth's radioactive atoms -- New Scientist
June 26, 2009: Solstice to
solstice solargraph -- APOD
June 21, 2009: Sunrise over the
Parthenon -- APOD
June 18, 2009: The eclipse
in history -- ESA
June 10, 2009: Caltech visiting
associate champions the study of solar eclipses in the modern era
-- Caltech
June 1, 2009: Why are we
moving away from the Sun? -- Sky & Telescope
May 29, 2009: World's
largest solar telescope now operational -- Astronomy.com
May 28, 2009: Einstein's
general theory of relativity: Celebrating the 20th
century's most important experiment -- Science Daily
May 18, 2009: The
Sun is burning -- HEAPOW
April 17, 2009: Discovered after
40 years: Moon dust hazard influenced by Sun's elevation -- AGU
April 17, 2009: Medieval
astronomy from Melk Abbey -- APOD
April 15, 2009: Major
utility company makes agreement for space-based solar power --
Universe Today
March 23, 2009: SPICE
will measure Sun's plasma properties -- Astronomy.com
March 23, 2009: New
Sun-watching instrument to monitor sunlight fluctuations -- NASA
March 22, 2009: Sungrazer --
APOD
March 20, 2009: Sunspots
at solar maximum and minimum -- NASA's Earth Observatory
March 20, 2009: Sunset at the
Portara -- APOD
March 20, 2009: Researchers
reveal why Sun's atmosphere is hotter than its surface -- CORDIS
March 20, 2009: Scientists
find giant solar twists -- Astronomy.com
March 10, 2009: Join
NASA in celebrating Sun-Earth Day 2009 -- NASA
February 25, 2009: Otherworldly
solar eclipse -- Science@NASA
February 5, 2009: Natural
solar collectors on butterfly wings inspire more powerful solar
cells -- Science Daily
February 4, 2009: How
will the Solar System end? -- New Scientist
February 4, 2009: Is
the Roman Pantheon a colossal sundial? -- New Scientist
January 29, 2009: Eclipse shirt
2009 -- APOD
January 28, 2009: A partial
eclipse over Manila Bay -- APOD
January 28, 2009: How
will the Solar System end?
-- New Scientist
January 25, 2009: Annular eclipse:
The ring of fire -- APOD
January 15, 2009: Suspension
bridge solargraph -- APOD
January 15, 2009: Double
sun dog dazzles icy Omaha -- National Geographic
December 21, 2008: Analemma over
the Porch of Maidens -- APOD
December 20, 2008: Solstice at
Newgrange -- APOD
December 15, 2008: A Sun pillar
over North Carolina -- APOD
November 17, 2008: Sun
shines on future Mars colonies -- New Scientist
October 24, 2008: Using sunlight
more efficiently -- AIP
October 23, 2008: COROT
directly sees 'sun-quakes' in other stars for the first time --
ESA
October 20, 2008: How
does solar power work? -- Scientific American
October 2, 2008: NASA
spacecraft finds the Sun is not a perfect sphere -- NASA
September 22, 2008: Equinox: The Sun
from solstice to solstice -- APOD
September 20, 2008: A darkened
sky -- APOD
September 17, 2008: Immigrant
Sun -- Astronomy.com
September 9, 2008: Solar
shift -- Astrobiology Magazine
September 8, 2008: The
Sun will eventually engulf Earth -- maybe -- Scientific American
August 31, 2008: Eclipse over the
Great Wall -- APOD
August 21, 2008: August moons
-- APOD
August 19, 2008: Chemist
travels world to study mysterious properties of neutrinos --
Brookhaven National Lab
August 18, 2008: Baily's beads
near solar eclipse totality -- APOD
August 8, 2008: The crown of the
sun -- APOD
August 7, 2008: At the sun's
edge -- APOD
August 5, 2008: A total solar
eclipse over China -- APOD
August 5, 2008: Eclipse
darkens NW China, a week before Olympics -- Scientific American
August 2, 2008: Eclipse
shirt -- APOD
August 1, 2008: Eclipse
blankets Russia; thousands watch in awe -- Scientific American
July 31, 2008: A
brief history of solar sails -- Science@NASA
July 31, 2008: Eclipse
expert makes hot finds in sun's darkest hour -- National
Geographic
July 31, 2008: Solar-cell
material can soak up more sun -- New Scientist
July 30, 2008: Voyaging
to the stars on a solar breeze -- Scientific American
July 29, 2008: Partial
eclipse, total fun -- Science@NASA
July 22, 2008: Total
solar eclipse on August 1: Where, how to see it -- National
Geographic
July 10, 2008: Science:
Simple, inexpensive solar energy from light-absorbing dyes -- AAAS
July 9, 2008: Study
puts solar spin on asteroids, their moons, and Earth impacts --
University of Maryland
June 23, 2008: Ancient
eclipse found in "The Odyssey", scientists say -- National
Geographic
June 1, 2008: How
to harvest solar power? Beam it down from space! -- CNN
May 31, 2008: A view to the
sunset -- APOD
May 29, 2008: A fog bow over
Ocean Beach -- APOD
May 29, 2008: Warm
coronal loops offer clue to mysteriously hot solar atmosphere --
NASA GSFC
May 22, 2008: Sun's
properties not 'fine-tuned' for life -- New Scientist
May 20, 2008: The enigmatic
sun: A crucible for new physics -- CERN
May 16, 2008: Circles in the
sky -- APOD
May 6, 2008: Chasing
the green flash -- Astronomy.com
May 4, 2008: An Antarctic
total solar eclipse -- APOD
April 18, 2008: Solar flares
set the sun quaking -- ESA
April 4, 2008: Medical
x-ray technique unveils the sun's corona -- Science Daily
April 3, 2008: 'No sun
link' to climate change -- BBC News
March 22, 2008: Cat's Eye Hubble
remix -- APOD
March 20, 2008: Sunset: Planet
Earth -- APOD
March 13, 2008: Vanguard
I celebrates 50 years in space -- Eurekalert
March 6, 2008: Sun's
corona is both hot and kinky -- Eurekalert
February 29, 2008: Earth
is doomed (in 5 billion years) -- Physics World
January 28, 2008: A solar eclipse
painting from the 1700s -- APOD
January 23, 2008: Landmarks: What makes the
stars shine? -- Physical Focus Review
January 16, 2008: Upgraded
neutrino detector could root out dark matter -- New Scientist
December 26, 2007: "Drilling
up" -- Some look to space for energy -- National Geographic
December 22, 2007: Tyrrhenian Sea
and solstice sky -- NASA GSFC
December 19, 2007: Solar-like
star flares up -- Astronomy.com
December 12, 2007: Foggy
San Francisco has ambitious solar plan -- CNN
November 19, 2007: Sun may be
smaller than thought -- New Scientist
November 12, 2007: Sun's twin
discovered -- Astronomy.com
November 9, 2007: Astronomers
discover Sun's twin at McDonald Observatory -- McDonald
Observatory
September 14, 2007: New
film opening in Boston gives first 3D look at the Sun -- NASA GSFC
September 10, 2007: Partial solar
eclipse for some Southern Hemisphere observers -- Astronomy.com
August 20, 2007: Catching
some rays -- NSF
July 11, 2007: Study
clears Sun of global warming -- Australian Broadcasting Company
June 8, 2007: New model
reveals Sun's interior -- Astronomy.com
June 1, 2007: Secrets
of the Sun's sizzling corona -- Australian Broadcasting Company
May 30, 2007: Magnetic field uses sound waves to ignite solar ring of fire -- SpaceDaily
May 30, 2007: News from your favorite star -- Astronomy.com
May 22, 2007: Orange Sun oozing -- NASA GSFC APOD
May 10, 2007: Get ready to explore the heart of the Sun -- NASA GSFC
May 7, 2007: SOHO finds solar ripples -- Astronomy.com
April 24, 2007: The Sun in three dimensions -- NASA GSFC APOD
April 23, 2007: NASA spacecraft make first 3-D images of Sun -- NASA JPL
April 6, 2007: NASA unveils first stereo vision of Sun -- AGU Space Weather
March 13, 2007: Lunar transit in STEREO -- Astronomy.com
March 8, 2007: Sunlight sends asteroids spinning -- Australian Broadcasting Company
March 5, 2007: International Heliophysical Year begins -- SpaceDaily
March 3, 2007: Lunar transit from STEREO -- NASA GSFC APOD
March 2, 2007: Solar eclipse from the Moon -- NASA GSFC APOD
March 1, 2007: Ancient solar observatory discovered -- Space.com
February 23, 2007: Sol sister -- SpaceDaily
February 20, 2007: A cool solar mystery -- Science@NASA
February 19, 2007: International Heliophysical Year begins -- European Space Agency
February 7, 2007: Ulysses scores a hat-trick -- European Space Agency
February 7, 2007: NASA-European spacecraft swoops under Sun's pole -- NASA JPL
January 29, 2007: Movie: a green flash over Italy -- NASA GSFC APOD
January 25, 2007: Twin spacecraft swing past Moon to prepare for 3-D solar studies -- SpaceDaily
January 14, 2007: Comet McNaught - a first light present for STEREO -- SpaceRef.com
January 12, 2007: SOHO prepares for Comet Mcnaught -- SpaceDaily
Click on images above to
learn more about them
|
HOME
In the News
History
Ask Us
Great Links
Glossary
Site Map
Search NASA
![Encyclopaedia Britannica Internet Guide Selection](britannica_iguide_blue.gif)
|